SHC dismisses Rangers’ plea for Amir Khan’s bail cancellation

The Sindh High Court dismissed on Thursday a Rangers application that challenged the release of Muttahida Qaumi Movement- Pakistan leader Amir Khan on bail by an anti-terrorism court in a trial over charges he harboured criminals.

Khan, who is standing trial over charges of instigating terrorism and harbouring criminals, was booked in a case soon after his 90-day preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act ended in June last year.

According to the prosecution, the paramilitary Rangers had detained him along with dozens of other suspects for three months after rounding them up in a raid on the party’s headquarters, Nine Zero, in Azizabad on March 11. 

The anti-terrorism court heard that the MQM leader, besides other suspects, admitted during questioning that Khan was in charge of security of the party’s headquarters and he, along with Minhaj Qazi, Raees Mama, Shahzad Mullah, Imran Ijaz Niazi and Naeem alias Mullah, had provided shelter to suspected terrorists and convicts and had been using them for terrorist activities in Karachi.

On June 29, 2015, the ATC granted bail to Khan. Later, Rangers DSR Mohammad Riaz filed an application in the high court, arguing that the trial court had ordered Khan’s release on bail without appreciating the facts of the case, which were placed on the court’s record. 

He said the trial court failed to consider police reports and other relevant evidence and hurriedly granted bail to the accused. 

The Rangers’ prosecutor had earlier informed the ATC that they had credible information about the MQM leader’s involvement in target killings and other criminal activities. He had asked the high court to set aside the trial court’s order for releasing the accused on bail.

Khan’s counsel, Shaukat Hayat, submitted that not a single witness had implicated the defendant in the terrorists’ harbouring case, nor any terror suspect was being prosecuted.

He requested the high court to dismiss the application. The court, after hearing the arguments of the counsel amd for reason to be recorded later, dismissed the Rangers’ application.